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ANTWERP | Het Roze Huis marks 30th anniversary with celebration on Saturday 13 September 2025

Posted by Timothy on

Het Roze Huis in Antwerp will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday 13 September 2025, with a full-day programme. The event will take place at Draakplaats 1 in Antwerp and will last nine hours. It is open to the public, both from the city and beyond.

The programme begins at 2 PM with a fair and an open day at Het Roze Huis. At the same time, MontRoze will be held, an arts initiative where artists can present their work through drawing and painting. Selected works will remain on display at Het Roze Huis for three weeks.

At 4 PM, Nathalie Delporte will be in conversation with Fleur Pierets, including discussion of her book ‘Julian‘, which has been adapted into a film. At 5:30 PM speeches and a reception are scheduled.

In the evening, an open stage will take place from 6 PM to 8 PM0, open to anyone wishing to perform. The day will conclude from 8 PM to 11 PM with a party under the railway bridge at Draakplaats, featuring music and DJs.

The full programme also includes additional activities. Those wishing to take part in the fair, the art market or the open stage can register via an online form.

Het Roze Huis 

Het Roze Huis (‘The Pink House‘), for a while Het Roze Huis – çavaria Antwerp, is the umbrella organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, queer, intersex groups in the province of Antwerp. As a physical house, it also aims to serve as a hub for LGBTQIA+ people.

History

Het Roze Huis originated from a collaboration between Antwerp residents. Later, associations also joined, and the organisation grew into the representative body of LGB and transgender groups in the province of Antwerp.

The idea began to take shape in 1994, and in 1995 the non-profit association Het Roze Huis was established, beginning with fundraising. 

After several years, political support was secured and in 1999 the building on Draakplaats in Antwerp was purchased. On 23 September 2000 the house was officially opened.

At the same time, the cooperative Den Draak opened as a café with a social function. In the following years, the house was renovated, including large windows and a spacious attic floor. 

In 2002, Het Roze Huis was transformed into Het Roze Huis – Antwerpse Regenboogkoepel (Antwerp Rainbow Umbrella), an umbrella organisation with citywide and provincial ambitions. 

In 2011, the name was changed to Het Roze Huis – çavaria Antwerp, highlighting its role as a provincial umbrella within çavaria. It has since ditched the reference to çavaria to underline its independence. 

Activities

Het Roze Huis represents around thirty associations from the province of Antwerp to the city and the provincial authorities. It provides support, offers training and makes its facilities available, including to the LGBT student association De Flamingo’s.

The organisation also published the quarterly magazine De Magneet. 

Above Café Den Draak, it houses a non-fiction LGBQIA+ library, the HolebiBib. 

Each autumn, Het Roze Huis organises the L-week, a series of events for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women.

Present and future 

As with so many organisations, associations and clubs, Het Roze Huis is struggling a bit. Struggling to find funding both from governments and donations, struggling to find volunteers and honestly ‘energy’. 

It’s the zeitgeist. 

Queer Antwerp

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  1. Pingback: ANTWERP | Queer Walks mark 30 years of Het Roze Huis – Trip By Trip

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